[RSmithOpt]

Crude stocks are at a 19 year high as there was an 800,000 barrel increase as reported for 2nd week of April.

Demand to date for U.S. gasoline is off -6.3% from 2008 from a report I read this morning. Go figure.

Demand for diesel is way way down. Crude demand in the US has only slipped -1.4% to -1.8% as heating oil was up as it was colder this winter in the U.S.

Last year, beginning 1Q 2008, there were 1600 active drill rigs looking for natural gas / oil / shale oil.

As of April 30, there were only 800 working exploratory rigs operating in the U.S.

[Roccus]

FWIW. Heard on CNBC this AM that crude prices are rising because of "anticipated rise in demand" due to imminent world-wide economic recovery.